BALTIMORE -- An inch separated the top two women's finishers in the 12th Baltimore Marathon, and a Kenyan won back-to-back first-place finishes in the men's race Saturday.

Perhaps WBAL-TV 11 News Sports Director Gerry Sandusky put it best: "In sports you make a name for yourself by winning. And, sometimes, when you win, everyone learns the correct pronunciation of your name, as we have.

Through a translator and friend, Yado said, "The race was amazing. (I'm) happy that (I) won, and (I) loves Baltimore."

Yado enjoyed her first trip to America with a virtual photo finish with Malika Mejdoub, of Morocco. Both were given the same time -- 2:38:46 -- the 10th fastest time in race history. Yado will return home to Ethiopia in a week before running next month in a 10K in India.

"She was certain she was going to win. All she saw was the finish line," Yado's translator said. Yado said she will use her $25,000 prize to buy gear, and "a lot of stuff to enhance (my) training and to support (my) family. Yado is three siblings. (continued, next page)

On wbaltv.com -- Full Marathon in photos (First Wave)

2012 Baltimore Marathon in photos

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WBALTV.com takes you to the start of the 12th annual Baltimore Marathon. See if you can find yourself or a runner you know!

The women's field was as diversified as the men’s but not as deep. Elites came from Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia, Belarus and Morocco.

Two-time runnerup Lee DiPietro, of Baltimore, completed her seventh Baltimore Marathon, albeit a bit disappointed with her time this year.

"I was on pace for the first half," she said, hoping for a 3:05 finish at age 54. "I came through the first half in 1:31. Then my hamstrings tied up about 19 to 20 miles."

Last year's men's champion, who hails from Kenya, and an Ethiopian woman took first place in the 12th Under Armour Baltimore Marathon on Saturday.

This year's marathon saw 5,000 runners -- including six of the eight top finishers from last year -- among 26,600 Baltimore Running Festival participants. Among the elite, Stephen Muange and Ernest Kebenei ran side by side for much of the race.

"In the last 50 meters, that is when I was sure I could win this race today," Muange said. "Last year was my first marathon. Today, I was sure I would be in (at least) third or fourth. I was very happy."

While not a record time, Muange shaved better than two minutes off his 2:15:16 finish in 2011. While Muange pulled off a four-second victory over Ethiopian Ambesse Tolosa last year, he cut it even closer this year. Muange, who trains in Santa Fe, N.M., ran step for step with another Ethiopian, Tesfaye Alemayehu of Antioch, Calif., for the final five miles.

On wbaltv.com -- Full Marathon in photos (Second Wave)

Baltimore Running Festival photos: 5K start

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WBALTV.com takes you to the start of the 12th annual Baltimore Running Festival for the start of the 5K. See if you can find yourself or a runner you know!

"I want to run under 2:10. I want to be like the big guys," Muange said. "The difference the last year, the weather was quite good, but today, it was very cold, and I'm not used to running in the cold weather."

His margin of victory was just three seconds with a race-time temperature starting at 41 degrees.

"This year, it was very competitive, more than last year," Muange said. "Today, we were many, many elite athletes. The first half was very slow. Then, after 13.1 miles, we picked it up a lot."

Muange returns to Kenya on Monday, where he'll prepare for upcoming races.

"I want to go and prepare for Los Angeles Marathon," he said. "I will take a break for three weeks. I want to recover for three weeks, then I will start to train again."

As the first place men's winner, Muange receives a $25,000 prize, which, last year, he shared with fellow athletes in Kenya.

"It means a lot because, last year, I won this marathon, and the money, sometimes I used to spend the other racers," Muange said.

Tom Kozlowski, 49, of Parkton, was the top master runner in 2:16:49, good for eighth place and $1,000. The top female master was Shawna Jones, 42, of Raleigh, N.C., who finished 10th among females in 3:07:43, earning $1,000.

On wbaltv.com -- Kids Fun Run in photos

Smiles all around at Kids Fun Run

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Perhaps the most fun race of the Baltimore Running Festival includes the young runners who participate in the Kids Fun Run.

Tyler Saunders, of Baltimore, (15:44), and Stephanie Hoag, of Hunt Valley, (18:16), won of the CareFirst 5K.

Some 1,000 volunteers and 400 police officers worked to make the Baltimore Running Festival a success. For the police, about 140 officers participated in the races.

WBAL-TV 11's own 11 Insta-Weather PLUS Chief Meteorologist Tom Tasselmyer ran in Saturday's half-marathon. He stopped briefly at Lake Montebello to reflect on his progress: "I'm comfortable so far, but the hard part is coming. So, if I can keep it going, I'm alright." The chief has ran in several races, including the Baltimore Marathon in the past.

Like many Marylanders, race officials tasked with organizing the Baltimore Running Festival watched the progress of the Orioles in the postseason very closely. Had the O's made it to the American League Championship Series, the races would have ended in front of M&T Bank Stadium instead of between it and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles returned home Friday night after losing Game 5 earlier in the evening to the New York Yankees in the AL division series.